I remember walking to the bus stop feeling as though I was about to throw up. I saw my two best friends from a distance, a little weight slowly lifted off my soldiers. We walked to elementary and middle school together every day and basically did everything together. They knew me more than I knew myself and reassured me everything was going to be okay once they saw the worried look on my face. But it was different now. We were now little fish in a small pond of over a thousand students. We stuck together, even putting our lockers next to each other, along with few other friends. This was a tradition we kept for the next four years. My first day was a bit overwhelming, however, overall I actually liked it a lot better than middle school. The large population, something I once feared, turned out to be one of my favorite aspects of high school. I liked that I was able to keep a low profile at times and at other times I was able to meet new friends. I was also happy to be placed in all honors classes. I knew that this was the time of my life where things became serious. School began to count towards my future and if I wanted to get into a good college, I had to work hard. This is why most of my week nights consisted of studying to late hours of the night and early hours in the morning. I was fortunate enough to attend a school with multiple opportunities. There was several extracurricular activities that I dove right into. I became an active member in Key Club, Environmental Club, National Art Honor Society, Model Congress, and Fashion Club. These mostly involved doing some sort of community service. I greatly enjoyed dedicating my time to help others. It may sound corny, however, it gave me a sense of meaning and purpose. I volunteered at several retirement homes, bake sales, walks, fundraisers, and became Head Mentor at my elementary school. With age comes wisdom. Wisdom does not actually mean knowing all, it can mean knowing you're not as grown up as one used to think, which is a sign of maturity. I definitely did a lot of maturing during those four years. I grew into the person I am today and discovered a lot about myself. It wasn't exactly easy to recognize the world for what it is and come to terms with some aspects of reality. It was difficult watching the people I once called friends make the wrong choices. In order to cope, I found my outlets in literature, writing, art, and music. They were my escape from reality and on my off periods, when I wasn't with friends, I was off giving myself the education that was not a part of the school's curriculum. My tenth grade English teacher, Mrs. Sederi, made school worth going to. She did not treat us as if we were students, but, as her equal. She valued our opinions and changed the lesson plans often to incorporate our interpretations. I looked forward to her lessons, homework, and every outrageous story she told in class. I had the privilege to take her Science Fiction class in the twelfth grade, which was, even more rewarding. She is the kind of teacher I hope to become in the future. My friends impacted my life tremendously. I am lucky to say that I have had the same great group of friends since the seventh grade. Whether it was small problems or bigger ones, we stuck together through it all. When we experienced a loss, we got through it together and it made us stronger. I'll never forget the memories we made; the long days and amazing nights we shared. They are, and will remain, some of my greatest memories. They made my town a home and I will be forever grateful to have them as my family.
My first day was a bit overwhelming, however, overall I actually liked it a lot better than middle school. The large population, something I once feared, turned out to be one of my favorite aspects of high school. I liked that I was able to keep a low profile at times and at other times I was able to meet new friends. I was also happy to be placed in all honors classes. I knew that this was the time of my life where things became serious. School began to count towards my future and if I wanted to get into a good college, I had to work hard. This is why most of my week nights consisted of studying to late hours of the night and early hours in the morning.
I was fortunate enough to attend a school with multiple opportunities. There was several extracurricular activities that I dove right into. I became an active member in Key Club, Environmental Club, National Art Honor Society, Model Congress, and Fashion Club. These mostly involved doing some sort of community service. I greatly enjoyed dedicating my time to help others. It may sound corny, however, it gave me a sense of meaning and purpose. I volunteered at several retirement homes, bake sales, walks, fundraisers, and became Head Mentor at my elementary school.
With age comes wisdom. Wisdom does not actually mean knowing all, it can mean knowing you're not as grown up as one used to think, which is a sign of maturity. I definitely did a lot of maturing during those four years. I grew into the person I am today and discovered a lot about myself. It wasn't exactly easy to recognize the world for what it is and come to terms with some aspects of reality. It was difficult watching the people I once called friends make the wrong choices. In order to cope, I found my outlets in literature, writing, art, and music. They were my escape from reality and on my off periods, when I wasn't with friends, I was off giving myself the education that was not a part of the school's curriculum.
My tenth grade English teacher, Mrs. Sederi, made school worth going to. She did not treat us as if we were students, but, as her equal. She valued our opinions and changed the lesson plans often to incorporate our interpretations. I looked forward to her lessons, homework, and every outrageous story she told in class. I had the privilege to take her Science Fiction class in the twelfth grade, which was, even more rewarding. She is the kind of teacher I hope to become in the future.
My friends impacted my life tremendously. I am lucky to say that I have had the same great group of friends since the seventh grade. Whether it was small problems or bigger ones, we stuck together through it all. When we experienced a loss, we got through it together and it made us stronger. I'll never forget the memories we made; the long days and amazing nights we shared. They are, and will remain, some of my greatest memories. They made my town a home and I will be forever grateful to have them as my family.